WITH GOATS TO A BETTER LIFE

Usually, the villagers have only small parcels of land, the size is often insufficient to feed the families all year. In addition, there is a lack of agricultural experience – also in respect of tending a field, since some families have just settled in the region about one generation ago. That is why our social workers provide workshops on topics such as agriculture and livestock farming to improve agricultural productivity and thus income opportunities. In the course of project preparation, it has proven that the land areas of the region are particularly suitable for the cultivation of ginger. In addition, the prices for ginger on the surrounding markets are good, which on the other hand makes the purchase of tubers needed for the first sowing quite expensive and unaffordable for the villagers. Here, we support the households of our project villages by distributing ginger tubers for the first sowing. The ginger can be harvested once a year and one kilo of sowing is expected to yield up to 50 kilos, which can then be sold on local markets.

In cooperation with the established savings groups, the families are also supported in the acquisition of additional seeds, so that they can earn part of their livelihood by selling the harvest and thus also have money to buy more seeds for the next sowing season and eventually make a big step towards independency. At the same time, we teach the families about keeping and breeding goats and the marketing of animal products and provide further trainings about the detection and prevention of possible animal diseases and vaccination opportunities. The workshops are conducted by agricultural experts and always in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture.

Subsequently, pairs of goats are distributed to a certain number of villagers, whose offspring will then be handed to other families in the village, so that the entire village community will sustainably benefit from this measure. The distribution of the goats is again organized by the groups themselves. This way, we hope to strengthen the solidarity and the “We-feeling” within the community. Our project managers train the villagers with the support of veterinary experts in farming. Goat farming enables families to produce dairy products for their own use to improve the nutritional status and as their livestock grows to offer goats for sale on the markets over the next few months and years. The male offspring, if not needed in the village for further breeding, can obtain prices between five and eight thousand rupees (50-80 Euros) depending on weight and age. The female offspring are sold a little bit cheaper, but they ensure a lucrative extra income in the future for the families.